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JoAnna Shumate
U. S. A.
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Dichroic glass
ダィクロィック･ガラス
Dichroic Glass... Fused into individual
pieces of Wearable Art...
JoAnna Shumate has spent many years dabbling in
glass...cutting, crafting and fusing together pieces that turn into a
wide array of items...from platters and vessels... she focuses now
primarily on the delicate and nearly hypnotic creations of jewelry.
Making use of varying forms of glass, including Dichroic...JoAnna has
melded together art that can be worn and admired.
What is Dichroic Glass? What is usually perceived as color in glass,
and most other things, in this case is actually the result of rare
earths, elements and compounds added to the glass chemistry for the
purpose of absorbing the light energy in different portions of the
visible spectrum. The energy that is not absorbed is the color that you
see. Dichroic Art Glass creates its effect by actually working with
reflections. Dichroic glass selectively reflects away certain
wave-lengths (colors) of light and allows the remaining wave-lengths to
transmit through. This is the same way nature creates the colors seen in
bird feathers, fish scales, opals and even the color seen on an oil
slick on water.
The Process: First the glass is optically cleaned in a
meticulously clean room. The slightest speck of dust can mar the
coating. The glass is then polished with rouge, then cleaned to the
molecular level with several types of solvent alcohol. The glass is then
coated with extremely thin films of elements, such as titanium,
magnesium, zirconium, etc. The light rays which filter through the
coated glass appear to take on the color characteristics of the coating.
Up to twenty layers of materials such as Beryllium, Chromium, Selenium,
Yttrium and Tin are used. The finished result is glowing art glasss..
When an artist fuses dichroic glass, several transformations take place.
As the material, which starts off as a two-way mirror, heats up, the
glass expands at a greater rate than the coating, separating them. The
separation characteristics are a result of the formulation of materials
deposited onto the glass. When the material cools and the glass
contracts, the coating never gets back to its original position. The
higher the temperature, the more severe and rugged the surface rise.
Obviously creating dichroic art glass is anything but simple...and
unpredictable...one never knows what the finished piece of wearable art
will turn out to be...but the beauty is evident.
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